John Forsyth
Member
Well after looking for almost three months my local found two last Thursday. Just a week ago Friday we were looking for either a new 70 Series or a NRM 1991 and found none. Asked what the numbers were, xxx0783 & xxx1812. I asked for 0783. It arrived today. I took it home (isn't it great to live in the south where you can buy a gun and take it home right then) stripped it and cleaned it.
Fit and finish. I could not ask for better. Not a mark on it, inside or out. Slide is centered in the dust cover. Sights are tight and centered on the slide. I thought my XSE was fit well. This one is better. There is no play in the barrel hood, lock up is solid. When in battery, you can just barely feel the ejector portruding out the back. Slide to frame is nice and smooth. Fit is not overly tight, but it is not loose by a long shot either. It is every bit as good as my pre series II Kimbers and they are very accurate.
Trigger has a small amount of take up and breaks cleanly at approx. 4lbs. It will only get better. Thumb safety function was solid and positive.
Things I found interesting. The frame has the solid rail (no slide stop relief) and the serial number is roll mark impressed. The grip screw bushings are stainless. And the extractor is MIM. It looked fine, tension is OK. We are going to run with it.
The stocks have a very distinctive grain pattern to them. Only thing is, I think they are too dark for the blue finish of the pistol. I have a set of Kingwood that came from Don Williams, at pickagrip.com, that I had on my LW Commander. They are now on the new Colt. They look a lot better on the blue pistol than the stainless. I also changed out the grip screws. The XSE, even though it was stainless came with blue allen grip screws. I pulled them off as soon as I got it and put stainless ones on. Those blue allen head grip screws are also now on the new Colt.
If first impressions are important, this Colt passed with flying colors. It was worth the wait.
Price to me out the door including 8.75% sales tax and $10 state mandated background check fee was $890. I maybe could have done better getting it out of state and just paying shipping and transfer fees, but it wasn't worth it. FedEx would have been $35, the tranfer fee would have been another $25, and I would have had to paid the $10 regardless. I think it was better to have gone through my local, he made a little more, which is OK, he has treated me fairly on all deals I have made with him, and if there had been a problem, we could just have sent it back. I got to see it, inspect it, and take it down in his shop, before saying, yes this is a keeper.
Fit and finish. I could not ask for better. Not a mark on it, inside or out. Slide is centered in the dust cover. Sights are tight and centered on the slide. I thought my XSE was fit well. This one is better. There is no play in the barrel hood, lock up is solid. When in battery, you can just barely feel the ejector portruding out the back. Slide to frame is nice and smooth. Fit is not overly tight, but it is not loose by a long shot either. It is every bit as good as my pre series II Kimbers and they are very accurate.
Trigger has a small amount of take up and breaks cleanly at approx. 4lbs. It will only get better. Thumb safety function was solid and positive.
Things I found interesting. The frame has the solid rail (no slide stop relief) and the serial number is roll mark impressed. The grip screw bushings are stainless. And the extractor is MIM. It looked fine, tension is OK. We are going to run with it.
The stocks have a very distinctive grain pattern to them. Only thing is, I think they are too dark for the blue finish of the pistol. I have a set of Kingwood that came from Don Williams, at pickagrip.com, that I had on my LW Commander. They are now on the new Colt. They look a lot better on the blue pistol than the stainless. I also changed out the grip screws. The XSE, even though it was stainless came with blue allen grip screws. I pulled them off as soon as I got it and put stainless ones on. Those blue allen head grip screws are also now on the new Colt.
If first impressions are important, this Colt passed with flying colors. It was worth the wait.
Price to me out the door including 8.75% sales tax and $10 state mandated background check fee was $890. I maybe could have done better getting it out of state and just paying shipping and transfer fees, but it wasn't worth it. FedEx would have been $35, the tranfer fee would have been another $25, and I would have had to paid the $10 regardless. I think it was better to have gone through my local, he made a little more, which is OK, he has treated me fairly on all deals I have made with him, and if there had been a problem, we could just have sent it back. I got to see it, inspect it, and take it down in his shop, before saying, yes this is a keeper.